PlayStation Home pushed back again

Sony has stretched its closed beta for PlayStation Home so it will continue throughout the summer, nudging the open testing back to autumn and final release sometime after that.

"We understand that we are asking PS3 and prospective PS3 users to wait a bit longer, but we have come to the conclusion that we need more time to refine the service to ensure a more focused gaming entertainment experience than what it is today," said Kaz Hirai, Sony Entertainment overlord.

"Our overarching objective is to provide users with new gaming experiences that are available only on PlayStation Home. Spending more time on the development and on the Closed Beta testing reaffirms our commitment to bringing a quality service, maintaining the PlayStation tradition," he added.

PlayStation Home lets you make a little virtual avatar of yourself and potter around talking to other PS3 users online.

You get to buy a house, too, and display rewards earned from games there, as well as pictures and videos and music and mini-games and all sorts.